Lovey Gets A Bath

Grammy gave "Lovey" to Riley when she was born.

This large, loveable pink pooch has been through various moves and times of storage; as well as plenty of playtime with Rye.
Because of all the living and loving evident in Lovey's fur, we recently took him to the local laundromat for a quick, sudsy spin and a fluffy air dry... Riley cheered Lovey on the whole way, Fisher cheered Rye on.

Riley and Fisher have similar dispositions towards their stuffed friends-simply put, stuffed animals are real... and the cuter the stuffy, the more in tune with its feelings they seem to be... situations like being put in the washing machine are matters of survival, not just hygiene.

It's cute ~until something tragic happens, like a severed limb   (or ear!)   or a spill over of stuffing or something... you would think we'd lost a family member in the trauma unit should something like that occur. (There was a light stuffing leakage on this day and ALL of my kids thought we'd lost Lovey.)

So, imagine our motley Brew Crew hauling Lovey, the Giant Pink Puppy into the Laundromat; moving from station to station as the mob that we are, creating all the necessary chaos to operate the machines, as we fight for the best 'seat' to watch the 'show'(or camera angle to take pictures, ::guilty gulp::) pummeling & elbowing one another from time to time when someone blocks our view...some of us cheering and shouting at the 'screen' like we were watching that Notorious College Football Championship instead of ...a WASHING MACHINE.

I tell you, we fit right in at the Laundromat! And I cannot wait to go back sometime soon, which we are going to have to do, because I still have sixteen dollars on the Wash & Dry card they make you trade your real money in for. Turns out the math they taught me in school did not cover properly estimating time & money in a laundromat that lists prices like a slot machine... blinky little screen things that they are!

I have got to add two little asides before you get your turn at "Watching-A-Washing-Machine" (sounds like a great new trend to start- quick someone, Pin This!)

1.) As we were talking about this adventure later, Rye said "Lovey go in the dishwasher!" (I think that might be worth a try next time ... I've been needing to mop the floor again anyway.)

2.) There is a thrift store that funds a local pet rescue a few doors down from the laundromat. As we waited on the dryer to finish, we moseyed down to see what we could see. When the lady at the door asked us "Are you looking for anything in particular today?" and I explained "No, ma'm~ we're just washing our dog next door, killing a little time as we wait for him to dry." It really WAS the right thing to do to specify that we were referring to a stuffed dog, but it would have been so much funnier to just leave it at "dog" don't ya think?

Unicorn Milk

Riley brought her cup to me "More Unicorn Milk? " 

I corrected her manners, having her ask "More Unicorn Milk, PLEASE?"

I filled her cup with goat milk and sent her happily on her way.

Later, as we were watching 'Tangled' (for the 37 millionth time), for the sake of continuity, I pointed out a goat from one of the scenes and asked "Is that a unicorn?"

'Mmm-Hmm!' she nodded affirmatively.

I guess they DO both  have a horn...or two...on their head.

She has since heard us refer to goat milk, and will ask for it properly some of the time. Other times she sticks with the unicorn story. 

I bought the first quart of goat's milk assuming I would be looking for ways to sneak the majority of it into cooking & baking. I didn't think she would finish the first sippy cup full. I never thought she'd come to prefer it. 

Last night, she tossed a cup of cow's milk my way and called after it 'Goat milk....pweeeze?!'

Go figure. 

One quart of goat's milk is the same price as one gallon of cow's milk. 

She has seemed to have a better appetite and less tummy upset... and she has slept soundly through a few more hours than usual... maybe the magical properties of 'unicorn milk' is to thank? 

Perhaps that is also why I'm not correcting her on the 'unicorn milk' thing ...even encouraging it a bit...it makes it sound more exotic, worth the quadrupled cost...and the very compliant toddler.

Besides, it's just too cute.

Two asides before I close:
First~I showed her the picture of a real goat this morning, to which she exclaimed: "PUPPY!"
(True Story) 
And second~  yes, I have tried the goat milk. And no it isn't terrible... really.

I believe it was the picture on the front of this carton that led her to believe she is drinking unicorn milk...though this goat has no horns to speak of.